REPORT FROM THE EPA - SAN FRANCISCO - Nationally, total releases of toxic chemicals decreased 12 percent from 2011-2012, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report and Pacific Southwest state fact sheets published today.

“Our yearly analysis of chemicals being used by industry helps residents understand which chemicals are used in their neighborhoods,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This year we have enhanced our fact sheet system to aid in getting TRI information about specific locations.”

New for this year is an updated fact sheet system that allows users to explore customized data. Scroll down at the link www.epa.gov/tri to enter your zip code, city, or county, and the new tool will create a fact sheet to show you toxic releases near you.

The annual TRI report provides citizens with critical information about their communities. The TRI Program collects data on certain toxic chemical releases to the air, water, and land, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities by facilities across the country.

The TRI data reports are submitted annually to EPA, states, and tribes by facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste. Many of the releases from facilities that are subject to TRI reporting are regulated under other EPA program requirements designed to limit harm to human health and the environment.

Release data alone are not sufficient to determine exposure or to calculate potential risks to human health and the environment. TRI data, in conjunction with other information, such as the toxicity of the chemical, the release medium (e.g., air), and site-specific conditions, may be used to evaluate exposures from releases of toxic chemicals.

State Highlights:

ARIZONA
A total of 257Arizona facilities reported a total of 86 million pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2012. Arizona’s total reported on-site and off-site releases decreased when compared to 2011 data.
Highlights of data from 2012 in Arizona show that since 2011:
• Air: Air releases decreased 22 percent
• On-Site Land: On-site land releases decreased 13 percent
• Underground Injection: Underground Injection releases did not change
• Water: Water releases did not change
• Off-Site Transfers: Off-site Transfers increased 68 percent
For detailed Arizona information and the state’s Top 5 releasing facilities please see the state fact sheet athttp://www.epa.gov/region9/tri/12/tri-2012-arizona-report.pdf

AMERICAN SAMOA
In 2012, American Samoa total releases were 5 pounds from the Starkist facility’s air releases of polycyclic aromatic compounds. For detailed American Samoa information please see the fact sheet at http://www.epa.gov/region9/tri/12/tri-2012-amsamoa-report.pdf
COMMONWEALTH OF NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
A total of 8 facilities reported a total of 79,469 pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2012, an increase over 2011’s 3,224 pounds mainly due to 4 new facilities reporting TRI data.
For detailed CNMI information please see the fact sheet at http://www.epa.gov/region9/tri/12/tri-2012-cnmi-report.pdf

GUAM
A total of 11 facilities reported a total of 572,245 pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2012. Guam’s total reported on-site and off-site releases increased when compared to 2011 data.
Highlights of data from 2012 in Guam show that since 2011:
• Air: Air releases increased 9 percent
• Water: Water releases increased 16 percent
• On-Site Transfers: Total on-site transfers increased by 802 pounds.
For detailed Guam information please see the fact sheet at http://www.epa.gov/region9/tri/12/tri-2012-guam-report.pdf

Additional TRI Tools:
-TRI Explorer is a tool that you can use to see the TRI data. It allows a user to look at data by state, county, or zip code; by chemical; or by industry. It provides maps a user can click on to find TRI facilities, chemicals and industries in a particular area. http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer

The annual data is from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, one of the EPA’s largest publicly available databases. The annual TRI reporting began in 1988 after the enactment of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986. The chemical information in the inventory is calculated by industrial facilities and reported to the EPA. Total releases include toxic chemicals discharged by facilities to air, water, land, and underground, and the amount transferred off-site for disposal. Pollution controls apply to many of the reported releases. Reporting facilities must comply with environmental standards set by local, state and federal agencies.